By Doug Miller
Congressman King, thanks for coming. Want to have a seat? Right there is great. Let's get you some coffee.
Congressman, you need to know that what we're going to say to you comes from the heart.
You know that we're very proud of you. You know that come November, 65 percent of us will be there for you. And you know that as long as you want the job, you'll have that 65 percent.
And we think the Homeland Security chairmanship is terrific, for you and for us. You're the guy for the job, no doubt about it, and yours is the seat for it. Nassau County. Communities right in JFK's flight path. A cop or fireman living on almost every block - at least those blocks south of Westbury. Sure, there are doves and civil-liberties folks here and there, but not enough to bring about a change of course on the big issues. At least not as far as you're concerned.
But here's the thing. You've got your 65 percent and your chairmanship, but we were wondering if maybe we couldn't ask you to take a slightly broader view.
Surely you've noticed what's happening in all these races. You're a powerful northeastern Republican. Ask yourself: Do you want to be the only one?
In all of the Northeast races, your party is going to get slaughtered. Your candidates look terrible, and it's partly because they're trying to follow your example - to be you - on the issue that is ultimately going to bury your party: immigration.
No, no, you're right. The war doesn't help. But think about it this way: A stance on immigration is something you can fix with long-term benefits. Wars don't last. A strong base does. Let's you and us figure out how to improve yours.
You saw the new census numbers. Front page of all the papers last Monday, right next to baseball. So what are you going to do about them?
Every Republican running in the region has taken your hard-line approach: Seal the borders. No road to citizenship for those already here. Learn English. And they've taken that line because that's where you've convinced your core voters to go. How about leading them back to the middle? They'll follow you. They always have.
John Spencer, who is being a good soldier by taking a run at Sen. Hillary Clinton, used to call himself a liberal Republican when he was mayor of Yonkers. Now, when he doesn't answer a question with "I don't know," he sounds like David Duke. Let the guy breathe, will you?
And Thanksgiving should be awkward at Tom Kean's house, huh? His son is running for the U.S. Senate against a Democrat named Robert Menendez, who is actually beatable, yet Kean Jr. wants to fine every illegal alien $2,000 and send them "to the back of the line" to be considered for work visas. And this is a race to represent New Jersey, where 25.5 percent of households speak a language other than English. As governor, Kean Sr. was a classic and popular centrist, but his son thinks he needs to be you to win. Sad.
(Oh. Maybe you can help us with New York's GOP gubernatorial candidate John Faso's stance on this, since we have no clue. We typed "fasso" into the search bar of ontheissues.org and were asked, "Do you mean 'fascist'?" Yikes. Turns out we were spelling his name wrong, but correcting it only got us, "Do you mean 'fast'?" Ugh. Please, loan this guy a publicist, will you?)
Lost in the Lieberman-Lamont drama up in Connecticut is Alan Schlesinger, the Republican nominee. His stance: Seasonal workers can stay, but only for eight months a year. And they have to pay taxes but can't receive benefits. And they have to learn English immediately.
Let's hope Schlesinger doesn't finish fourth.
What we're saying is, these may be candidates you would vote for, and who your 65 percent would vote for, but they aren't candidates who can win anywhere else in the Northeast.
Congressman, look around you. Ask yourself, Who are your customers? Who wants to buy what your party has traditionally sold? Remember the small business owners you work for? Remember the medium-sized business owners you work for? Remember the cops you work for? Remember the soccer moms?
They're largely Hispanic now, and they hate your immigration policy so much they'll never listen to the sense you make on other issues. These are the next generation of voters who work hard and want to keep what they earn. They have small businesses and want them to grow. They're Catholics like you and want to see more adoptions in their communities, not more abortions. They're natural Republicans, waiting to be courted.
Your party is going to need to find a new source of entry-level voters, since you've lost the kids to the war. Just let go of this immigration nonsense and you'll watch everything else you stand for find new support.
Listen, we have to go, but please stay, finish your coffee and give it some thought. We'll see you in Long Beach on Irish Day.
Doug Miller is the editor of the Long Beach Herald.
Comments? DMiller@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 213.
